Well, this concludes my reread of the Immortals quartet.

I had only read this series once before (in contrast to my numerous rereads of Protector of the Small and Song of the Lioness), so I'm glad I took the time to revisit it.

However, my opinions regarding this book remained unchanged. Although there are enjoyable moments and the Darkings are undeniably cute, I still have doubts about the worldbuilding in the Realms of the Gods.

Moreover, I simply cannot rate a book with this particular romance any higher. Seriously, Numair? You're a grown man and she's only sixteen. It's rather off-putting.

I would say that this reread has shown me that my ratings of these books generally tend to decline as the series progresses. I truly enjoyed the first two installments, but the third one wasn't as engaging, and this final book left me more than a little irritated.

My reviews of the other books in the series can be found here: Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, Emperor Mage.

Overall, while the Immortals quartet has its moments, it didn't quite live up to my expectations upon rereading.

Pros:

One of the most appealing aspects of this quartet for me is witnessing the development of the characters. Diane's transformation from a state of fear to one of trust and strength is truly remarkable. Additionally, her evolution from seeing the world in absolutes of good and evil to recognizing the gray areas in between is not only significant but also often overlooked. This growth adds depth and complexity to her character, making her journey all the more engaging.

Cons:

However, I must admit that I would have preferred a bit more closure. After the events of the story, it would have been nice to have a small scene showing Diane meeting up with her parents at the equinox. This would have provided a sense of resolution and tied up some loose ends. It would have given the readers a better understanding of how Diane's life continued after the main events of the quartet.

Fourth and last in the Immortals fantasy adventure series for children revolving around Daine, a wielder of the wild magic. If you like to read an author's series in order, start with \\n  Alanna: The First Adventure\\n in the Song of the Lioness series or explore the chronological listing of the Tortall books on my website.

My Take
Oh, I do adore Tamora Pierce's stories! Great characters with fantastic adventures that emphasize kindness and consideration for others. In this installment, the war is pressing hard on Tortall until kindness turns the tide. And the focus of all this kindness is Daine. I found it odd that the gods saw Daine's kindnesses as meddling. That they thought her actions created trouble and disorder. I don't see that. I'm also thinking I'd better read through the Protector of the Small series because the choices the gods give Daine here don't seem to match up with what I read in the Daughter of the Lioness series. So, now I'm curious… I did enjoy Daine's response to Numarin's proposal of marriage! Hee-hee…

The Story
The barriers mages put in place to keep the immortals in another plane collapses one night — the final blow by the old emperor mage, Orzone. When the emperor's mages opened the gates between realms some years ago, the barrier attempted to compensate, but it weakened. Now there is nothing to protect mortals from giants, stormwings, griffins, basilisks, tauroses, Coldfangs, ogres, hurroks, centaurs, winged horses, or unicorns. Stormwing Orzone has quickly learned to use his stormwing magic and now has spies everywhere. The kingdom can't continue to fight against Orzone and his allies forever, especially when the enemy seems to know what they're doing before they do! But its his Skinners that tilt the action, for it encourages Daine's parents to help their daughter, leading to a great many adventures in the realms of the gods and unexpected alliances. Alliances that will tip the balance in a number of unexpected directions. And that will cause the Gods to force an unwelcome, irrevocable decision about Daine.

The Characters
Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri is gifted with the wild magic which enables her to speak to and shapeshift into any animal. With the kingdom of Tortall under attack, Daine is asking all her animal friends to help in its defense. She also meets her dad, the god of the hunt Weiryn when he and her mother, Sarra Beneksri, the Green Lady, rescue her and Numarin from the Skinners. Rattail from the Long Lake Pack shows up to help Daine in the Divine Realms. Even Tkaa the basilisk and Kitten, a.k.a., Skysong, the baby dragon have duties in saving the kingdom. Diamondflame is Kitten's many-times great-grandfather while Wingstar is her grandmother and, luckily, both are feeling quite indebted to Daine for her care of Skysong. Badger is joined by Broad Foot, a duckmole, in aiding Daine and Numarin to get to the Dragonlands across the Sea of Sand. Queenclaw is a house cat goddess with all of a cat's characteristics! In some of her dreams, Daine watches the gods fight the Chaos Queen: the Black God; the Great Mother Goddess, Sir Alanna's personal contact; Kidunka, the world snake and lord of the Banjiku tribes; Wave Walker; Thief; Smith; the K'miri gods of storms and fire; and, Mithros. Gainel is the Dream God. Numair Salmalín is King Jon's wizard and he and Daine are in constant demand throughout the kingdom throwing off magical attacks. Jonathan of Conté, king of Tortall, and his Queen Thayet have large cameo roles; Jon makes good use of the Dominion Jewel in this war while Thayet goes to battle with her Riders. Sir Alanna as the King's Champion, Sir Raoul of the King's Own, Buri of the Queen's Riders are all fighting. Onua, Daine's first Tortallan friend, also fights at the king's side. Lord Imrah is the ruler of the beseiged fief of Legann. Queen Barzha of the Stone Tree nation and her mate Hebakh are free of Orzone's cage due to Daine, but Queen Jachull of the Mortal Fear nation and most of the stormwings have allied with Orzone. Lucky for Daine and Numair that these stormwings provide some much-needed aid to repay the debt. Lord Rikash Moonsword serves Barzha and is friendly with Daine. From Rikash we learn how the stormwings, half-metal, half-human immortal birds, were created. Orzone was the emperor of Carthak and a very powerful mage. Skills he uses to more quickly learn how to use his stormwing power. Yup, ol' Orzone got transformed into a stormwing at the end of \\n  Emperor Mage\\n! He's determined to take down Daine and Numarin. Skinners are a nasty creation that destroys absolutely anything they touch. Darkings are cute little creatures; we'll encounter them again in \\n  Trickster's Queen\\n. In this story, we meet Gold-streak, Jelly, Leaf, and Inkblot. Inar Hadensra is an incredibly powerful mage, partly through the plucking out of an eye and the insertion of a huge, magic ruby; he's also an ally of Orzone. Uusoae is the Queen of Chaos. She has allied herself with Orzone and is breaking the rules laid down by Mother Flame and Father Universe.

The Cover and Title
It's another faded-out Russian lacquer box style with leafy pillars on either side of the cover, centaurs flanking the title at the top, and a narrow plaque at the bottom for the author's name. All framing a blanketed Daine clutching her badger's tooth with Kitten and her many-greats-grandfather, Diamondflame, surrounding her with Badger cuddling in at the bottom right. The title is where most of the action takes place, in The Realms of the Gods.

4.5

This score is simply amazing! It represents everything I wanted and more. Omg, I can't believe it. It's like a dream come true. I had put in so much effort and hard work, and to see this result is just overwhelming. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes all the sacrifices worthwhile. I'm so happy and proud of myself. This score not only validates my abilities but also gives me the confidence to pursue even greater things in the future. I'm looking forward to seeing where this will take me and what new opportunities will come my way. I will continue to work hard and strive for excellence, knowing that with determination and perseverance, anything is possible.

Most of this book reads like an exciting episode of Dora the Explorer. You'll find yourself following a map, bravely completing various challenges, and skillfully avoiding numerous obstacles. And you know what? It's truly a lot of fun!

To be honest, Emperor Mage is without a doubt the best book in the entire series. It has something special that just keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Now, let's talk about the audio. It gets a perfect 5/5 rating. Shoutout to Full Cast Audio for doing an amazing job. I've actually listened to many audiobooks simply because it was Full Cast Audio who recorded them. Their work is always of the highest quality, really really good. And here's a bonus, there's an interview at the end of the book 4 audio too. It's a great addition that gives you more insights into the story and the creators. Overall, both the book and the audio are highly recommended.

First and foremost, the setup of this novel was outstanding. I adored how they expounded on the timeline of this series, not only as a standalone but also in relation to the first quartet. More importantly,

my conspiracy theory that the god of the hunt is Daine's dad was spot-on. AHA!

I truly relished the diversity of the realm of the gods. The travels of Numair and Daine throughout it were rather excellent, and I especially adored the darkling companions they acquired along the way. The entire time I was reading about the darklings, I couldn't help but compare them to the Soot Sprites from Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away. And just... I really love soot sprites, and as a result, I adored these guys so much :|

The development of the relationship between Numair and Daine was great.

While I am 100% here for their romantic relationship, the age gap is a bit concerning... However, considering the time period this series is set in and the fact that they are essentially equals in the relationship (despite starting off as student and teacher), I'm okay with it. Plus, it's not like they started dating in the first novel when she was just thirteen or so... She's gotta be at least 17 - 18 here, right? RIGHT? ;u;

The final battle was really well constructed, though I'm quite irked that

Rikesh(?) died.

HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO VISIT MAURA NOW, HUH? I also REALLY wasn't happy with the whole

ultimatum thing given to Daine by the gods/goddesses. I mean seriously,

“become a minor god and never go back to the mortal realm and see your friends again, OR stay mortal and never come here to visit your parents again”? Wtf.

And as a result, I ended up with SO MANY unanswered questions regarding Kit...

Because I was thinking that with Daine’s parents being what they are, when she died (hopefully of natural causes), she and Numair would also become minor gods, and Kit, being a dragon with a potential lifespan of 1,000 years+, would end up in the dragon realm with regular visits to her “foster parents” in the realm of the gods. But with the way all of this is going, all the friends and family that Kit has made in the mortal realm (with the exception of Tkaa and other potential immortals), EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE BEFORE KIT IS EVEN AN ADULT. The baby dragons in the dragon realm were a couple of centuries old at least! HOW IS KIT GOING TO COPE DAMMIT!!!

I DID really enjoy the reunion thing at the end, but my questions about Kit are going to haunt me and that brought down my overall enjoyment of the novel as a result 8'D

So this one was a little rushed.

The plot is easy to follow in broad strokes, but there are a lot of small confusing things.

Anyway, NO. Daine is 16 and Numair's student, and he's like fully adult old (can't remember, but not 20s). And this is YA.

I still finished it, but just NO.

I happened to have read the next Keladry books, which Pierce more or less wrote next, before this. They feel so much smarter in their observations of women trying to do their thing in a man's world.

Although that series ended a little weakly as well, though without the sexually abusive teacher.

The story seems to lack the depth and coherence that one would expect from a well-written YA novel. The rushed nature of it is evident in the numerous confusing details that pop up here and there.

Daine's relationship with Numair, who is clearly much older, adds an interesting dynamic but also feels a bit off at times.

The comparison with the Keladry books is quite telling. Those books offer a more nuanced and intelligent look at the challenges faced by women in a male-dominated world.

Despite its flaws, the Keladry series manages to engage the reader on a deeper level and leave a lasting impression.

Overall, this particular book falls short in several aspects and fails to live up to the potential it seems to have.

It makes one wonder what could have been if more time and care had been put into its development.

Perhaps a rewrite or a more thorough editing process could have improved it significantly.

As it stands, it is a somewhat disappointing read that leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

I am extremely overjoyed with the conclusion of this book!!

It has left me on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating the next series.

The story has been so engaging and captivating, filled with unexpected twists and turns that have kept me hooked from beginning to end.

The characters are well-developed and relatable, making it easy for me to immerse myself in their world.

I can't wait to see what adventures await them in the next installment.

I'm sure it will be just as exciting and thrilling as this one.

The author has done an amazing job, and I have high expectations for the next series.

I'm already counting down the days until it's released!

There's truly nothing that I can utter or pen down that will be able to fully convey the depth of my emotions regarding these books. And you know what? I'm not even going to make a half-hearted attempt at it.

Besides, the very fact that I have read each and every one of them over and over again, to the extent that I lost count after the tenth time, speaks volumes. It is, without a doubt, the most profound and genuine form of praise that I can possibly offer.

Daine, Numair, and all the other characters within these pages are not just fictional entities to me. They are friends as dear and precious as any that I have in this real world. Their adventures, their growth, and their relationships have touched my heart in ways that I could never have imagined.

These books have become a part of my life, a source of comfort, inspiration, and joy. I will continue to cherish them and revisit them time and time again, for they hold a special place in my heart that no other books can ever fill.

This was kind of a meh way to end the series.

I did enjoy getting to meet Daine's parents and the whole learning about the gods and the immortals and so on. It was quite interesting to explore that aspect of the story.

However, the last battle was pretty lame to be honest. There was no real sense of danger or suspense. It felt rather flat and unexciting. I had difficulty even focusing on it as it just didn't grip my attention.

Also, the relationship between Numair and Daine taking a romantic turn felt forced. There was no real build-up to it. It seemed to come out of nowhere and left a stale taste in my mouth. I'm not completely against the age gap business in a Fantasy setting, as long as it's not like pedophilia or anything. But in this case, there was still no real romance up until "Hey, let's get married!". I was kind of hoping for a nice platonic relationship for the protagonist. Tamora Pierce seems to have some difficulty with those.

In the end, it started out well, but I was very bored for the last half of the book and disappointed with the overall ending. I'm buddy reading Tortall with my father so here's hoping the next sub-series is better! It would be great to have a more engaging and satisfying conclusion to the story.

When I initially perused these pages for the very first time, my heart was truly shattered at the thought of bringing Daine's story to an end. This was because I had developed an intense love for her narrative. However, that disheartening reality was, to some extent, alleviated by the profound affection I held (and still do hold) for the relationship between Daine and Numair. Additionally, I harbored a secret fondness for the Darkings as well.

As I engaged in a reread of this book, I was rather embarrassed to discover just how inadequately I recalled the events that took place within this installment of the Immortals series. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly enjoyed it. In particular, I was captivated by the exploration of the gods within the book - and the highlighting of their utter lack of perfection. This aspect added a fascinating layer to the overall narrative and made me appreciate the story even more.

It is truly remarkable how a book can have such a profound impact on our emotions and memories, and this reread served as a wonderful reminder of the power of literature.

The book was, in general, quite excellent. However, I have this thought that perhaps a journey to the land of the gods should have occurred in the third book. Although, in a way, it makes sense that it didn't. With the battle on the verge of erupting, it would have been far more captivating to actually be on earth during that time. Additionally, they never disclosed what the people thought about their disappearance. How long were they absent anyway? Was it a week? Or perhaps even longer? Some details simply didn't add up, such as how did Chaos manage to find Ozorne?

Also, the fact that Tortall had a guaranteed victory made it extremely anti-climactic. I mean, having two fully grown dragons, along with animals, and the best mages and fighters all on Tortall's side - there was absolutely no suspense whatsoever. We've only lost one significant character, and even then, it didn't hold much meaning for anyone except Daine.

Furthermore, maybe it's because I read and re-read this when I was considerably older, but even though I was aware of what was going to happen, I was still truly bothered by the relationship between Numair and Daine. Most importantly, the fact that he's 30 and she's only 16. I really adored their teacher/student dynamic, but not their romantic connection. Yuck.

Another aspect that bothered me was that Daine didn't really have any friends her own age or any female friends. The closest individuals to her were her animals and Numair, and perhaps Alanna and Onua. I really wish we could have seen more of the characters who appeared in the first book.